Retired Sonos Staff

End of Software Updates for Legacy Products

Related content:Software

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Please note that we’ve created a new thread with some clarifications to questions that have come up several times in this thread. Please see here to continue the discussion if you still have any questions. The information contained in this thread is outdated and may no longer be accurate.

We have some important news regarding our oldest Sonos devices shared on the Sonos Blog today. The text of that blog post is being included here for your convenience:

Starting in May 2020, some of our oldest products will no longer receive software updates or new features. We want to explain why and your options.

When we first set out almost 20 years ago to invent the technology to easily listen to any song in any room, most of the ways we listen to music today did not exist. In fact, the first Sonos products were introduced before the first iPhone was announced and when Myspace still ruled social media.

In order to invent multi-room music and smart speakers, we combined the worlds of high-fidelity audio and computing. Every Sonos product has a microprocessor, flash memory, and other hardware components typically found in computers and smartphones.

Since launching our first products, technology has advanced at an exponential rate; from streaming services and voice assistants to wireless networking and Bluetooth capabilities. Through all of this transformation, we have continued delivering new features via software updates. We’re extremely proud of the fact that we build products that last a long time, and that listeners continue to enjoy them. In fact, 92% of the products we’ve ever shipped are still in use today. That is unheard of in the world of consumer electronics. However, we’ve now come to a point where some of the oldest products have been stretched to their technical limits in terms of memory and processing power.

This coming May, these legacy products—our original Zone Players, Connect, and Connect:Amp (launched in 2006; includes versions sold until 2015), first-generation Play:5 (launched 2009), CR200 (launched 2009), and Bridge (launched 2007)—will no longer receive software updates or new features.

Today the Sonos experience relies on an interconnected ecosystem, giving you access to more than 100 streaming services, voice assistants, and control options like Apple AirPlay 2. Without new software updates, access to services and overall functionality of your sound system will eventually be disrupted, particularly as partners evolve their technology.

To help you through this transition, we’re providing two options:

Option 1: Continue using these legacy products, recognizing that your system will no longer receive software updates and new features.

Option 2: Trade up to a new Sonos product with a 30% credit for each legacy product you replace.

If you’re not sure if your products are affected, you can check in the System tab in your sonos.com-account

If you choose to participate in the trade up program, your legacy products will be put in Recycle Mode, a state that deletes personally identifiable information and prepares these products for e-recycling. Recycle Mode also protects unsuspecting people from buying legacy products that are approaching the end of their useful life and won’t provide the Sonos experience customers expect today. Recycle Mode will only apply to the legacy products listed above.

We ask that you take your legacy products to a nearby certified e-recycling facility. This is the most environmentally friendly way to recycle. That said, if there isn’t a facility in your area, we are happy to pay for you to ship your products back to Sonos for responsible recycling.

Ideally all our products would last forever, but for now we’re limited by the existing technology. Our responsibility here is threefold: build products that last a long time; continually look for ways to make our products more environmentally friendly through materials, packaging, and our supply chain and take responsibility for helping you through the transition once products near the end of their useful life.

We’ve always believed in freedom of choice, whether that means choosing a certain streaming service or way to control your listening experience. We hope the choices provided here—continuing to use these products without new software updates or trading up to our modern products—enable you to make the choice that’s right for you.

We are honored to have a place in your home and want to make sure that we help continue to bring the best experience we can, even when products reach the end of their useful life.

More information.

Please let us know if you have any questions.

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P

patbla

Enthusiast II

The more I think about this the more disappointed I am becoming.

There are many approaches that could have been taken and they seem to have taken one that is easiest on them (simply not worry about “legacy” devices any longer and let the chips fall were they may) instead of continuing to support “legacy” devices with the understanding that their functionality will not be expanded beyond their current capabilities due to hardware limitations.

If the limitation is indeed processor and memory based then you could provide functionality in the app – or, perish the thought, the desktop application – that allows users to load on only the features they use and want. I personally use a local library, Tunein, and Spotify. I do not need every music service loaded to every component. I would understand that such functionality may need to be at the network level so that all speakers have consistent functionality.

I do not believe that any of the people writing here would have objected to this. I do not need airplay or Chromecast in my existing speakers and I would understand having to purchase new equipment to make use of this new technology. What I do not understand is Sonos saying that they will simply stop updating those products and let them die off.

If the current position is maintained then I ask that you provide access to the code base for the products that you will no longer support as I feel confident that there would be a community of developers that would gladly take up keeping this equipment functional for years to come.

U

Unhappy customer Number3428567

Lyricist I

I just want to make you (Sonos) aware that due to your obvious disregard for anyone AFTER they have spent their hard earn money (close to 10K in my case) on your product, coupled with your poor handling of both the recent bricking stunt and your previous software update that stopped me playing my library from a IOS device that I will be making a positive effort to buy and set up a new system from anyone of your competitors and NOT SONOS. Your product was good before you started to screw up, well done on alienating your customers.

S

snap6565

Lyricist II

Putting my amp up for sale. Cause if I update my new gear the old stuff will suffer and eventually stop. Sonos will still need send updates for new gear. Hence theunwill top talking to each other.

Bye sonos

J

JohnG666

Enthusiast II

The BBC news website has caught wind of the anger ….

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-51206604

J

jmw_sono

Chromatic Producer I

Just adding 2cents to the discussion.

Over 20 Sonos products.

Upgraded 6 Amps over Christmas.

Now Im told the three Connect:Amps I still have and two Play5 Gen1s need to be upgraded.

Dont use voice, lost my PC ability for settings, Android tablets now getting not supported. SO any new features the last 5 years haven't helped me enjoy my system. Actually mostly making it unenjoyable.

I have one Play1 on my worksite. Company network, no wifi. Only PC access to the speaker. Been running for five years. But cant even change settings. And couldn't add anything. Smart. Sure I can get out wireless router and other work arounds but your decisions show you could care less about old customers.

Not having a solution to have mixed system is crazy. But who am I to say, well I am a big customer and supporter.

I write software in the process control arena. Write my own products. I have rewritten a Visual C++/multiple c library dlls piece of software from scratch probably 4-5 times. Why? Because to make my product better. And that includes making things backward compatible and adding new features.

c why? Old as the hills. yes, but it allows me to encapsulate functions while updating the C++ gui. And yes C++ probably an older software system at this point. But you migrate and adapt as needed. During the rewrites, I often evaluate other approaches(software).

Point, come on, a little planning you can come up with solutions.

As of now you have isolated a good bit of your current base. Stuck behind the upgrade wall, will we want to buy new products? No. Upgrade new products, most likely No. Bad press so new customers arent going to join the ecosystem, Yes. Attacking Voice (Good decision) but should only affect new prodycts not the whole eco system. You are competing against much cheaper eco systems. SO new customers are going to got the Amazon, Google, Apple route. My younger niece and nephew dont have house. A simple Bluetooth speaker, cheap echo, etc will do them just fine. They want be joining the environment because of cost. They view music differently than current customer who grew up with stereo systems.

Best product on the market in my opinion the last 10-15 years. And still is. But this software issue isn't going to do anything good for you. Just my humble opinion though.

Might want to rethink this, just sayin

Playbar(2) Sub(1) Play:5(2) Play:3(6) Play:1(5) Connect:AMP(3) Sonos:AMP(5) Move(1)

M

Michael Mantkowski

Enthusiast I

Just at a time when big business is trying to go more “green”, SONOS don’t care if our speakers are junk in a year or two :fearful:

I hate to admit and am ashamed of myself that his part of the equation did not come to mind when I first received email yesterday. I was just thinking about the money. Kind of makes me just as bad as SONOS. Well accept for the fact that I have no desire to toss all my working equipment into a landfill.

Ryan SAuthor

Retired Sonos Staff

Hi everyone, thank you for joining the discussion. We’ve created a new thread with some clarifications to questions that have come up several times in this thread. Please see here to continue the discussion if you still have any questions.

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